Young's True Desire
by Star Inkyness 95
Summary: Fifteen years after Iris was swept off the beach, she is still happy with everything and living on the ship with the oither pirates. But when the Pirate King decides to take a trip to Port Royal, her happy life takes a turn for the worse.
1. Hair Day

**Hello my lovely readers! My name is M. Gemma, also known as Star Inkyness. If you don't know me, you haven't read the FIRST story. This is a SEQUEL, so you need to read, ****When the Pirates Got Away With It ****first! Thank you. To all my other readers who know me, hello! It is nice to see you again.**

**I do not own Pirates of Penzance**

Iris' POV

"Hold still, Ladimer," I said to my squirming son as I cut off locks of his frazzled black hair. "Or I'll cut your ear off," he stopped squirming and turned his head. I managed to cut his hair down to an appropriate length.

"I don't know why you want to cut my hair all of the time, I like it just the way it is," he complained.

"Because I cannot tolerate that long of hair,"

"But father's hair is long," I put the knife down and started to play with his hair, pushing it into place.

"Your father's hair is shoulder length, not down to his back like you like to wear it. Just hold on a minute." I finally put the last hair in place and slapped his shoulders. "You are free, just don't get too dirty for dinner or Ruth will have a fit." He stood up and brushed the hair off of his shirt. Stalking off moodily I couldn't help but giggle.

The ship that we were on was the same as ever. The mast had been replaced a couple times and crew members had come and gone, but the spray of the sea, the mingling smell of salt in the air, rickety boards and swaying deck, nothing had changed in Iris's eyes. Has it really been fifteen years? Fifteen years since my one true love swept me off of the beach. Retelling the tale in my head, I laughed a little more.

"Hello Iris," I turned to see the Pirate King approach me "What's so funny?" I shrugged.

"Just thinking,"

"Hmm," he glanced at me again, curiosity etched into his face. "About what?"

"About how strange they are when they are that age," he smiled and looked at Ladimer, who was trying to engage a conversation with Aloysius, who was trying to hide an exceptionally large piece of chocolate from his wife.

"You were around that age when I first met you," I had forgotten about that. Looking up at him, I could see well define flecks of gray in his beard and in the hair that peeked out around his large hat. Wrinkles lay around his big smile and he looked more tired every day. The smile faded off of my face and we looked away awkwardly.

"I was going to tell the crew later at dinner, but I might tell you now," I looked up. "I have been mapping out our journey, and I have decided that we are going to go to Port Royal," he said with an excited finish. I stared at him.

"We're going to Jamaica?" He stopped for a second.

"That's where that is?" I nodded, trying not to giggle. "Okay, then we are going to Jamaica!" We laughed and I hugged him.

"Sounds like fun, but I have to clean up, just cut Ladimer's hair see and I have to get Rose's by dinner…" he nodded and walked away without another word. I swept up the stray pieces of hair off of the deck and gathered them in the pan, eventually throwing them into the water.

"Rose!" I called down the stairs.

"Coming!" a slim figure appeared on the top of the stairs. I surveyed her appearance. Her hair was much too long, but she had inherited the beautiful golden glow from her father and cheery brown eyes from her mother. I smiled and picked up the knife.

"Sit down please," she plopped herself down quite more willingly than Ladimer and I sprinkled water on her hair to wet it down. She sat still and silent and I sliced off her thick golden locks and they fell in a pile around the chair. When I was done I put it in a nice braid and sent her off again. I swept around the area and threw the pan full of hair over the railing into the ocean.

As I was putting the broom back something grabbed me from behind. Calling out slightly, I spun around waiting to yell at the drunken pirate that decided to invade my personal space. Instead I came up close to my husband, Cecil, a mischievous grin across his face. I stopped mid-yell and smiled. Wound my arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

"Hair day?" he asked, touching out foreheads together. I giggled, feeling the bubbles in me that had not gone away in fifteen years.

"Mmm-hmm," I said, and rubbed my nose against his. Together, we were not middle-aged parents who were part time robbers. We were reckless pirates, sixteen and twenty-five, as we had first met. Our lips met in the frenzy of everlasting sparks.

"Hey mom can I go-yuk!" we broke apart and saw Ladimer, a disgusted expression on his face. I held back a laugh.

"Yes Ladimer, what is it?" he backed away slowly.

"Never mind," and ran away, around the corner. I glanced up at Cecil, and he smiled sheepishly.

"It's almost dinnertime, and we have chores to be done," he said

"Always the business man, won't you _ever _stop thinking of work?"

"When I stop thinking of work you might as well throw me overboard, for I will have no use of this ship anymore." I rolled my eyes but we parted, off to do the never ending list of chores.

Little did we know that trouble was brewing right in the tossing waters under our feet.

________________________________ _____________________

**More to come! I hope you like it so far.**

**Review if you know what's good for you.**

**~M. Gemma**


	2. Maternal or Pirateering

**I do not own Pirates of Penzance because I am lazy and would rather be copying someone else's idea than making up one of my own. Enough of that, onto the story!**

I polished off the last bits of chicken on my plate. The recent trip to Spain had provided us with some excellent curry and Ruth had been using it to our advantage. I was sitting in the dining room, or the food room as it was frequently called. Keeping a half an eye on Cecil, a half an eye on Ladimer, half an eye on Rose, and the other half on Azoff, the young pirate who was trying to make conversation with me.

I spent most of my time saying frequent "Mm-hmm" s and "Yup,"s while he went on about blacksmithing, or was it sheep? Anyway I didn't quite pay attention seeing as I was trying to watch my family and I had been drinking.

The half of my eye that had been watching Ladimer twitched as I saw him accept a bottle from the pirate next to him. Excusing myself from the conversation with Azoff, I walked over and took the bottle away from him just as he was taking a drink. He spluttered in protest.

"But mother, everyone else is doing it!" he claimed.

"I've told you a hundred and seven times, no rum until you are sixteen!"

"But Rose is doing it too!" I whirled around. Rose was sitting in between two men trying to enchant her as always, but drinking out of a bottle that contained a yellowish liquid. I tottered over to Aloysius.

"Aloysius, do you see what your daughter is doing?" he glanced up quickly, and to my great surprise he did not look upset, only proud.

"Yeah, it took me until I was twenty to be able to drink that stuff. It always burned me." He bragged. He looked at me. "Why?" I sighed and passed the bottle back into Ladimer's hand.

"Just don't drink too much," he shouted with glee and took a big swig. I decided dinner was over for me, and stumbled out onto the top deck. The air was cool with night and cast over with a shadowy darkness. The air chilled my bones and I felt goose bumps rise on my skin. Rubbing my arms, I ambled about the deck, randomly opening and closing things, picking things up and putting them down.

I had been thinking about how I was as a parent. Being raised half of my life with a rich Major-General and the other half by a crew of rowdy Pirates, I have been wondering for the past fifteen years on how exactly to raise my children. The rum incident had left me feeling foolish, trying to be a responsible parent but giving in to natural influences.

"Iris?" my name being called made me turn around. It was Charity, standing at the top of the stairs with a wrap around her shoulders. "What are you doing up here?" I shrugged.

"Just thinking," she came up to me and put a comforting arm around me.

"Charity?"

"Mmm?"

"Am I a bad parent?" She sighed.

"Oh Iris, of course!" I turned to face her. "We are pirates! We live on a pirate ship! Bad parenting comes easily."

"But why does it feel so wrong?" She dropped her arm.

"Because maternal instincts tell us it is wrong, but our pirateering instincts tell us it is right. Which one do you think dominates?" Truthfully, I had no idea.

"Pirateering?" I guessed.

"No! Maternal!"

"Ah,"

"We were born with it, and once we have children, they strengthen. Pretty soon they dominate the whole mind. How do you think Ruth got to be the way she is?" I laughed a little. We sat in silence for a couple seconds.

"Oh! Did you hear? We are going to Port Royal! Isn't that exciting?" I nodded.

"Yes, he told me this afternoon while I was cutting the kid's hair. I think Jamaica will be a nice place to go." She smiled.

"Come on, we should go to bed." We retreated down the stairs to the now-quiet food room and slipped out of my work clothes and collapsed into the hammock. Cecil wrapped his arm around me and we fell asleep peacefully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
**Its really short, I know, sorry. **

**Please review, chapter 3 will be zooming out into this story before you can say "Raise the sails" (Not really, but you get it)  
Review please!  
~M. Gemma**


	3. Kidd and the Fortune

**I do not OOOOOOOOWN Pirates of Penzance… I was singing there, just to let you know  
I really tried to make a long chapter, so I tried my best, it is 700 words over what I normally do. So be grateful.**

"How are you doing up there Iris?" someone called from below as I teetered up on the sails, untying the knots that held the sail in place.

"Don't talk!" I yelled, trying to keep my balance. When the last knot was undone the sail billowed down like a white parachute, covering most of the crew down on the deck. Acting quickly, they managed to fold it up neatly. We were in the harbor of Port Royal, the bustling pirate city. The sails needed to go down and more needed to go up.

I took hold of the rope leading down and slid down, ignoring the dull pain on my skin. I watched as the last sail was packed away. I smiled at Ladimer, who was trying to carry a large trunk from below that was far too big for him. Cecil came up behind him carrying a sack, and when he saw him, put shifted the sack to one shoulder and grabbed the trunk with one hand, putting it on his other shoulder. He said something inaudible to him, and he vanished down the stairs.

A hand on my shoulder made me turn around. It was Rose, a giddy expression on her face.

"Um, Iris? I didn't want to talk to my mum about this; she will get to upset,"

"What did you do now?"

"Nothing! Well, do you see that boy down there?" I looked at the dock, and there was a lanky, shabby dressed boy with long, black-as-night hair leaning against a barrel, looking up at us interestingly.

"What about him?"

"Well, I met him and he is wondering if I want to get a drink with him," I sighed.

"And why are you telling me this?"

"I was wondering if I could go, and if I could have some money," I sighed once more. Reaching into my small bag, I took out a couple coins and dropped them in her awaiting hand.

"Don't come back pregnant now," I warned. She smiled big and hugged me.

"Thank you godmother!" She tried to run off but I kept a firm grip on her wrist.

"What's his name?" I asked.

"Ramiele,"

"And what captain does he belong to?"

"To tell you the truth, I really don't believe that he is a pirate." I took another look at him. He had not moved, and I couldn't see any weapons on him at all.

"Hey, you." I said, turning to Samuel. "Give me your cutlass," He looked at my curiously, but unbuckled the sword from his waist. I handed it to Rose. "Put it on, and use it whenever you need to." She did as I told her, and then took off down the gangplank yelling,

"I'll be back by nightfall!" I turned to the Pirate King, who was standing a few feet away.

"What time is it?" I asked him.

"Quarter past ten," he answered.

"Only here fifteen minutes and she already finds a date," He looked at me sympathetically.

"Teenagers today, who understands them?" I laughed slightly and went back to my duties.  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It wasn't until noon before the Pirate King let us free to go into the city. I walked with Cecil, a cutlass and pistol attached to my waist. The city was amazing, full of people waiting to buy and sell. There were so many different stall and acts. We passed a man that looked like me was breathing fire, and men and women doing acrobatic tricks on a corner, people throwing money in the hat that was set before them.

The streets were narrow, edged with shops, stalls, acts, and buildings. The noise was almost deafening, so many calls and screams that were making my head spin. It wasn't until we walked by one act that something really caught my eye. It was a small monkey, a chain attaching him to cart where a small tune was playing.

The monkey was very dirty and almost, it seemed, sad looking. It hobbled around feebly, trying half-heartedly to impress people. A very fat man, who I suppose was his owner, came storming up to him, and picked him up by the scruff of his neck and threw him into the cart with such brute force he gave a little squeak of pain.

"If you can't make any money for me, I might as well kill ya!" He snarled at him. I lunged foreword, unable to take it anymore. Cecil tried to hold me back, but it was too late. I jumped into the circle of onlookers.

"Leave that poor thing alone!" I screeched. Several people's heads turned. The fat man turned around and laughed when he saw the sight of me.

"And what are you going to do about it, wench?" I could see Cecil stiffen in the corner of my eye. I twitched at the offensive term, but didn't falter.

"I could do a lot of things, but you wouldn't want that, would you?" I chose my words very, very carefully. He laughed slightly, seeming very amused at my words. I smiled plainly and drew my cutlass. He stopped laughing.

"Iris, no!" I could hear Cecil groan. The man had some fear crossing his face now, for he was unarmed. I took a step forward, just as he took a step back. I tilted the blade foreword menacingly. His body was trembling out of fear now.

"Will we be nice to the poor monkey now?" I talked said like I was talking to a small child, for now he resembled a giant one. He was crouched down, eyes wide, looking as if he was going to cry. Nodding quickly, he unlocked the chain holding the monkey and walked away as fast as he could with his cart.

The monkey sat there puzzled for a few seconds, then crawled up to me cautiously. I extended out my hand and he latched onto it, running up my arm on onto my shoulder, running his tiny hands through my hair. I laughed and he jumped onto Cecil, who dealt with him none to gracefully.

"I will call you," I began.

"Oh great, now we are going to keep him?" exclaimed Cecil. I turned to him.

"Of course, just look at him," they looked at each other sadly for a few seconds, and then he gave in.

"All right, Ladimer will be happy to have someone like him on board," we laughed.

"I think I'll call him… Kidd. Named after the great Captain of the _Adventure Galley_. "

"Wasn't he just hanged?"

"Well then, he has a monkey named after him to celebrate his achievements." We watched as Kidd scrambled about, discovering his newfound freedom.

As we passed a stall with small pieces of jewelry, a small necklace with an emerald caught my eye. I slowed to a walk, leaning over to get a better look at it. The emerald was set in a silver swirl that danced over the gem, with a short silver chain with a crude clasp.

Cecil reached over and picked it up, dropping a peso in the man's hand. He turned me around and I picked up my hair, allowing him to put it on me. I got chills as his fingers brushed the back of my neck. I let my hair fall and admired the jewel as it sparkled against my shirt. I smiled up at him.

"Thank you," He put his arm around me and pulled me close. As the sun beat down on us with its full, blinding glare, we decided to duck into one of the buildings close to us. Pulling up the fabric that was draped over the door, it took a moment for our eyes to adjust to the dim light.

It was a small room, but cool for its size. Lit only by a few candles that cast an eerie glow over the darkness. The tarp over the door blocked almost all of the sunlight. There were several chimes hung on the low wood ceiling, adding even more to the spooky feel of the room.

"Hello," said a voice so suddenly that Cecil and I both jumped. There was a very small woman, the smallest that I have ever seen, standing where I swear was a small desk before. "Would you like to have your future told?" Cecil and I looked at each other.

"Oh, well we-"

"Of course you didn't know! Sit down, sit down." She motioned to two small chairs that I had sworn were not there before. Looking concerned, we both sat down. The woman sat behind a desk that, apparently, I hadn't noticed before.

She took out a cup of some sort, and when she shook it, it rattled. Saying a few strange words, she dumped the contents of the cup onto the table. Out of it came a few weird looking dice. And when I looked closely, they had funny patterns and symbols on them.

"Ah," she said suddenly, startling me a second time. "Trouble is in your midst, especially for you," she motioned to me. "Be careful with what you don't know." She held her palm out like she was expecting payment, and not knowing what to do; we dropped a few coins in her hand.

"Thank you, and think about what I said," and with that she vanished. Looking at each other, we both stood up and walked out of the room, eyes painfully shot with the bright glare of the sun.

"What do you suppose that was all about?"

"I have no idea, but I don't think that she was making that up,"

_____________________________________________________________  
**Hey every one of my lovely readers! Meet my co-writer, Shoopet! (That isn't exactly her name yet, I just call everything that doesn't quite have a name yet Shoopet) Say hello, Shoopet!**

**Hi**

**Shoopet is actually me, but the part of me that does little fillers instead of the big point. Nice going there with the monkey, Shoopet!**

**No problem**

**If it weren't for Shoopet, I would have what would be in the next chapter, in this chapter! So HA!**

**Alright, thank you Drama for your lovely review and the constructive criticism. **

**Review please! Or I will plunder your ship myself!**


	4. What Hides Beneath the Brush

**You know the drill…**

It was evening, and the sun was just beginning to set, leaving the air dark and cool. The activity on the dock was bustling; all of the pirates were loading supplies on the ship and putting it in certain places. The activity usually symbolized the ending of a day at a port.

I was ambling around; watching the men as they quickly addressed their jobs. Kneeling down, I petted the head of a small white goat that was tied to the fence, waiting to be loaded onto the ship. It let out a merry bleat and rubbed his mouth into my hands, looking for food.

Chuckling slightly, I pulled a handful of oats out of a nearby crate and held them out on my hand. As the little goat licked the last traces of oat from my hand I stood up, not wanted to be caught feeding people food to the livestock.

As I stood up, I heard a faint rustling in the brush behind me. Turning around, all I saw was a very innocent, inconspicuous pile of brush. Turning away from it, I heard it gain. Whirling around faster, it stopped. Feeling very creeped out, I turned around one last time to walk away.

As soon as I did a dark figure popped out from the brush and seized me from behind, swiftly slipping a gag and a blindfold over my head so I couldn't say or see anything. I could feel arms around me, silently pulling me away from the group. As they pulled me in the brush, twigs caught on my hair and arms, scratching me in a million different places.

Before I could even think clearly, my hands were bound and I was hoisted up hastily onto a horse. I tried to turn around and try and signal for help, but my captor had jumped with supreme swiftness onto the horse and kicked it in the sides. It jumped, whinnied, and set off at a fast trot. Before we could get far, I reached up and ripped my earring out, dropping it into onto the ground before we broke forcefully into a run.

I tried to struggle, but my captor's arms tightened even harder around my waist, making it hard for me to breath. I bit back onto my gag. I saw the town go in view but disappear behind a dense group of trees. I wasn't familiar to the land, and I had no idea where we were going, and my captor showed no signs of stopping. I reached up stealthily and pulled out the other earring and dropped it onto the ground, and hoped that some of the crew members would get the message.

We rode on and on, not slowing for anything. We passed farms and fields, buildings and trees, ports and harbors. I laid my head back on my captor's shoulder as they continued to ride on and on. I had managed to rip off every piece of jewelry I had on me, throwing it down as to mark the path that I had been on.

We stopped with a jolt, sending me reeling foreword and almost hitting my head against the horse. They shoved me off and I hit the ground hard. Jumping up I was immediately shoved back on the ground again and my ankles were bound together. My gag was lowered and my mouth was forced open. I could feel a liquid being poured into my mouth. I tried to not swallow, but my jaw was clenched shut and I had no choice. Lying helplessly, I heard a few laughs.

"Good one, Mraz. She's a lot prettier than that fat one you brought back last time,"

"Hey Jack, how do you think Iain will reward me when he finds out where I got this beauty?" Using my last bits of strength, I reached up to my hair. Praying that they wouldn't notice, I pulled the jeweled pin out and dropped it onto the ground. Their voices were going clouded out as the drug took effect and I slowly lost consciousness.

**Charity's POV**

"Here Geary, take these to the Pirate King's quarters, alright?" I handed to small lad a handful of scrolls and he scrambled away. I then turned and watched the last box and chicken were loaded into the storage decks below. I turned my prying eye to Rose, who had her fingers intertwined with this new boy, Ramiele.

I continued to watch them as they drew themselves closer to one another, finally meeting in an embrace. Sighing, I turned away.

"Charity," I turned around and saw Cecil, my sister's dedicated husband. He had a very worried look on his face.

"Have you seen Iris? I can't find her anywhere," that was very unusual, Iris never really left without Cecil to go anywhere.

"No, have you checked on the ship?"

"Yes, I've looked everywhere. I even asked some of the townspeople, but none of them had seen her." I turned around to face the ship/

"HEY, GUYS!" I yelled. Everyone looked up at me. "IRIS IS GONE, AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO FIND HER! WE ALREADY KNOW THAT SHE ISN'T ON THE SHIP, SO DON'T BOTHER LOOKING THERE!" A murmur of concern spread throughout the pirates. "ALRIGHT, EVERYONE SPREAD OUT!"

The all jumped off of the ship, scattering to try and find Iris. I turned back to Cecil.

"I'm sure she will be fine," he seemed to believe the comforting words, and ran off to help join the search. Putting my hair up, I called to Aloysius. He appeared, as worried in the face as everyone else.

"Let's start over there, where I saw her last." He pointed by a brush pile. We headed over, stopping in the dimly lit area where Aloysius had last seen my sister. We were about to walk over to is but something caught my eye.

"Wait," I said, throwing out my hand and catching him in the chest. I knelt down to the ground, my husband copying the motion. "Look," I pointed to the strange looking tracks that had been pressed into the ground. A pair of very small feet, which had to be Iris's, were with a pair of large feet. They seemed to be very tossed and dragged, like they had been made very quickly. They seemed to come out of the brush, and retreat with Iris's back into it.

Looking at the pile, I could see a large hole in it, like someone had just blasted their way through. Running around to the other side, I could see a collection of hoof prints, all leading down the road and into the darkness.

"Why would Iris get on a horse with someone?" Aloysius puzzled. Someone came up behind us with a candle. Turning, it was Cecil.

"Have you guys found anything yet?" I pointed out the tracks. He seemed concerned, and started pacing, the candle flickering in the wind. I looked down the road again, pondering the possibilities. As Cecil's candle flickered once more, I saw something glint in the dirt. Leaning over, I picked up a small earring. I brushed some of the dirt off of it, and recognized it.

"You guys better get some men and some horses," they looked at me in puzzlement. I held up the earring. "Iris didn't run away, she's been kidnapped!"

___________________________________________________________  
**Duh-duh-duuuuuuuun**

**Oh no! What's happening? I know! Ha ha ha ha haaaa ha!**

**Sorry it took so long to update, Shoopet was badgering me about details and stuff.**

**Drama, thank you for the support, I will continue to include you in my author's notes!**

**Review if you know what's good for you. **


	5. The Rules and the Second Kidnap

**I could spilt myself in two, name one Gilbert and the other Sullivan, but that would be too much of a hassle, so I don't own Pirates of Penzance**

_Iris' POV_

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
**As the drug slowly wore off I awoke from my sleep, frazzled and confused, until it all came rushing back to me. I turned my neck painfully to look around the room. It was small, with stone walls and a few candles propped up around the room. There was no one else here, just a few straw mattresses and a small wooden door with bars. I noticed that my proper clothes had been taken away and I was wearing a small robe made of silky linen.

Getting up painfully, I walked in the direction of the door, trying the handle. I wasn't surprised when it was locked.

"Hello, is anyone there?" I yelled through the bars. Silence. "Anyone?" I heard a grunt and footsteps, coming closer every second. I backed away from the door as a figure appeared through the bars. I heard the clanging of keys, and the door unlocked.

My head was still swimming with the drugs, and I couldn't quite make out the figure in the doorway. Blinking, I saw him coming closer. He took me in a vise grip and led me out the door and into a hallway that reeked of rum and rotten meat.

As I was dragged along the hall I could hear the faint sounds of music and laughter getting louder every second. As we came up to a door, the man holding me pushed it open. The sudden light and gust of sound made me cringe. I closed my eyes against the harsh light and felt myself being dragged across the room. He stopped suddenly, and I opened my eyes a crack.

I was standing in front of a large, well dressed man who had an expression of smug delightfulness on his face. Something hit the back of my legs, and I fell to my knees with an outburst of cheering, leering, and whistles around me. I looked up through my hair at the man in front of me. His short, greasy black hair hung in a mess on top of his bristled face and contrasted strangely to the heavily jeweled clothes he was wearing.

He leaned down, sliding his dirty hand around my neck, forcing me head upward. I cringed as he kissed my lips, but found myself unable to move.

"Hello love. My name is Roche, what is yours?" I looked away, only to receive a slap in the face. "Answer me wench!" He snarled.

"Iris," I managed to choke out. His expression softened and he sat back in his chair, looking at me while I quivered on the floor. I felt the burn on my cheek where he had slapped me. Whispering something to the man next to him, he nodded and departed. I stole a few glances around the room. Nearly all eyes were on me, except the few women whose eyes were on the floor.

I ran though an escape in my head; I could easily jump up and outrun them. I couldn't see any windows in sight, but quickly decided against it when I saw how heavily armed the men in the room were. And besides, even if I could find a window, I had no idea of knowing where I was.

"Now," started Roche. "Let me tell you something Iris. Take a good look around. You will never leave this room. Do not try to run away, for we will kill you," I stiffened, and prayed in my mind that they would not come to that.

_Charity's POV_

"We have to keep searching!" I turned my horse around faced Aloysius and the Pirate King. "We can't just give up!" I yelled again. Aloysius dismounted and led his horse over to me; the Pirate King did the same.

"Charity," He began. "We've been riding for hours, and we need some rest. Don't take it like I don't care about her, it's just…" He trailed off, looking for the right words to say. "We just can't continue like this, we have to rest. We've been pushing the horses too hard, and we-"

"I don't give a damn about any of that." I cut him off swiftly. "She's my sister, and I won't stop trying to find her." I turned around and rode on, aware of the haunting dark feeling of emptiness behind me. The eerie clip-clopping of my horse's hooves echoed off of the mountainous landscape. "Whoa," I said and pulled back on the reigns. The horse pulled to a stop with a slight whinny.

I turned and called into the darkness behind me. "Aloysius?" I called. There was a crackle, then silence. I dismounted and took a few steps back to where I left the two men in the dark. "Guys, are you alright?" I stepped around a bend in the road, peering around to see where they had gone. "Aloy-"

"Charity," I heard Aloysius say. I turned and froze. "You were right." Behind him was a large man in black, a knife pressed firmly to his neck.

________________________________________________________  
**Oh my lovely readers, I am so sorry to abandon you. I had a large case of, well, **_**lazy**_**.**

Please review!  
~Star Inkyness


End file.
